After many years away from making computer simulations, designer and historian Ed Bever returns to the field with Stalin's Dilemma. Since the stated objective of the program is to promote discussion and education, as an educational tool for the classroom, Stalin's Dilemma has been released on the Net as freeware. Although very simple in appearance (the game is almost entirely text-based), Stalin's Dilemma is actually an attempt to model a highly complex problem.

The historical problem in question is the economic development of the USSR during the first 15 years of Stalin's rule (1928-42). The player must attempt to develop industry and collectivize agriculture with fewer deaths than actually occurred. The other goal is to prepare the Soviet military for the coming Nazi invasion--and to sustain fewer casualties than the real Soviet forces did.

Stalin's Dilemma teaches the player both the specifics of the historical period and general economic lessons about resource production and allocation. A highlighting system shows the student how various factors are related, underscoring the tradeoffs that must be made in order to win the game.

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